Thanks for this video! I loaned my copy with the score announcements to a drum line instructor and NEVER got it back. I've been lamenting the loss ever since. Finding this made my day. I cried all over again. What a fantastic year and a great moment in drum corps. I remember the announcer only got out "In second place with a score of 96.9 the S.." and I didn't hear a thing after that.
smn76: You absolutely were. I marched in 1988, but before that, I was a huge fan ten years earlier. The 1978 corps were and are my heroes. I am humbled that we played one of the same songs that you did. Magnificent as our Malaguena closer was, your opener in 78 was the epitome of studliness! It was our distinct honor to carry on your tradition.
I remember when he announced 4th place, thinking OMFG, we made top 3! When we weren't announced as 3rd place, it was friggin nuts. We really weren't expecting it, afterall the Devil's had been undefeated up til that moment. Taking 2nd place was more than I ever hoped for. Then, we he announced "in 2nd place... Santa Clara..." many of us actually started shaking and crying, more or less uncontrollably. It just didn't seem possible.
Drummer forLife Semifinals scores were kept secret. Nobody knew. We went to Kansas to see Madison rehearse on finals day. They were as relaxed as I’ve ever seen.
Thanks for this video! I loaned my copy to a drum line instructor and NEVER got it back. I've been lamenting the loss ever since. Finding this made my day. I cried all over again. What a fantastic year and a great moment in drum corps. I remember the announcer only got out "In second place with a score of 96.9 the S.." and I didn't hear a thing after that.
Thanks for posting the scores. That was weird year where they DIDN'T announce semi-final scores, so nobody knew we had beat Devils by over a point the previous night. We marched a bit cleaner at semis. I marched 88 Scouts BTW
I think was a rather different feeling than being in one of the perennial winning corps who were prepared to win. We simply weren't. I'm 40 now, but that moment is still and will always be one of the top highlights of my life. All top 5 corps that year were dynamite, which made winning even that much more of an honor.
The crowd knew that Scouts deserved to win. Cleanest M&M by far in a physically demanding marching show for the time...tight drums and classic full Madison Brass sound as was a trademark from their heyday. I, and many other fans felt that Scouts could've easily won in 1976, '78, 82, 84, and 85 and several other years where they had been slotted 4th or 5th. Let's just say that at 4:40 they weren't cheering that SCV took 2nd place....something very special, and long overdue, had happened.
The crowds reaction reminds me of 2008. No one likes to see BD win, but everyone loves to see them lose for the first time by a narrow margin at finals.
I marched with Madison in '78, and I agree. 1978 was a crazy year. PR, SCV, BD and Madison traded wins with each other on a nightly basis. There was no clear favorite heading into Denver that year. We (horn execution) got jobbed in Boulder early that week, so that left the other three. In fact, Santa Clara was probably the worst of the 4 going into that week, and they ended up winning. I know one thing for sure: We were the clear crowd favorite the whole summer.
Isn't this the year the corps didn't play in order of semis placement? I heard the scouts were ranked 3rd or 4th going into finals but actually won. Pretty crazy stuff.
Top five in performance order: BD, SCV, Cavies, Scouts, Garfield. Madison won the prelims followed by BD, SCV, Cavies, Garfield. There weren't any placement shifts in the bottom 7.
We weren't ranked 3rd or 4th coming in. For all we knew we could have been 2nd or 7th. The only two that were really certain where they ranked (somewhat) before finals were BD and SCV. BD went undefeated until semifinals. SCV had only lost to BD prior to semifinals. Meanwhile, Star was repeatedly beating Garfield, Cavies and Regiment only to finish 7th. So, I've always wondered if Star thought they were going to be top 3. The week before finals we lost to SCV 94.3 to 93.9. I knew that night that we had a very good shot at the top 3 and a shot at beating my absolute idols (SCV). If you think about it, how many corps could fit within a 0.4 spread. Not many, and I knew for certain SCV was going to be at least 3rd at finals (only if we were able to pass them, if not at least 2nd place). For all we know, had BD been there that night they may have been 3rd. Neither SCV or us saw BD after Whitewater in July. After Whitewater, BD and Regiment headed out east to meet up with Star, Garfield and Cavies who were already out there. We really didn't even think where we were "ranked" - I'm not sure we cared. Seriously, the only time I ever heard anyone talk about scores and placements all season was after DCM in DeKalb. We all thought we got majorly screwed. Other than that, no one ever talked about scores and placements. The staff did sit us down at a finals week practice and told us we had a shot to win the whole thing. I don't know if I believed them. I didn't really think about it. I just wanted to finish top 4. I just wanted to beat Regiment, Cavies and Star (after losing to all of them at DCM finals). I did not think we would win. I was shocked as hell when we did. The best thing about it was feeling that I was as good as SCV. It was amazing. After being heartbroken as a Jr. Scout in '85, '86 and '87 when Vanguard lost, I was overjoyed to be on that field in '89 as their won their championship. SCV is as beloved to me as the Scouts are. The are the epitome of class - in both victory and defeat. I have so much love and respect for that organization that carries forward to this day. It was an exciting year for sure, and IMO the top 3 were all amazing. We all gave such passionate and energetic performances. If BD won I wouldn't be on here saying they shouldn't have. Same thing if SCV had. The numbers just fell in our favor, and IMO all three of us were worthy of being champions in '88.
There is no feeling like the one when you are on the field for retreat, and they call the names of the corps with each one they call, your corps name stil hasn't been announced. I know what you mean by getting the "shakes" as all that plays out.
@multibuddhaneo I will have to disagree with you, as we, and I mean I marched 88 Scouts, won guard and percussion in prelims. I guess you could say we won finals at prelims. We did win GE at finals and for many, many years, the corps that won GE ended up winning DCI. I still teach corps and talk to a number of BD 88 vets, and even they agree we marched our asses off and while maybe not as clean brass-wise, we played with more emotion for sure!
@360Alexrules08 They were undefeated until semis. DCI tried an experimental system where they kept the semis scores hidden and did a random draw for finals performance order (in the top 6), so no one knew until well after the fact that Madison had won semi's.
Great year. Sad to see that five of those top twelve corps are no more...and even very established corps like scv had to take a year off due to financial concerns.
Marker773: I do appreciate your comments about the '78 corps, but our version of Malaguena doesn't hold a candle to the '88 version. I was so proud watching the championship unfold.
To THIS day, I wonder if Steve Rondinaro realized as Madison's performance began that his prediction of an undefeated 1988 Blue Devils season was impossible?
Finals was 08-20-88 08-13-88 1 Santa Clara Vanguard 94.300 2 Madison Scouts 93.900 08-19-88 1 Madison Scouts 97.800 2 Blue Devils 96.600 3 Santa Clara Vanguard 96.300 08-20-88 1 Madison Scouts 97.100 2 Santa Clara Vanguard 96.900 3 Blue Devils 96.300 08-13-88 1 Santa Clara Vanguard 94.300 2 Madison Scouts 93.900
A swing and a miss from Reliable Rondo. I loved the BD show this year, but Malaguena hit a high that has rarely (if ever) been equaled in terms of pure awesomeness. BD was better than SCV though. WTB more velvet knights.
Suncoast top 3 ?! I marched Suncoast that year. Our semifinals show was much better, I have it on VHS and gave it to a friend to make a copy of, but there is no way we were Top 3 ! Maybe 7th on a good night, and that night was not Finals ! we had all sorts of issues that we didn't have on Semi-Finals night.
Although I enjoyed madisons show in 1988, it was a sympathetic win for them. SCV and BD clearly had tighter and cleaner programs. The judges voted by emotion which should never happen in DCI.
The DISCIPLINE of my Brothers displayed upon being crowned World Champions makes me proud beyond words.
Thanks for this video! I loaned my copy with the score announcements to a drum line instructor and NEVER got it back. I've been lamenting the loss ever since. Finding this made my day. I cried all over again. What a fantastic year and a great moment in drum corps. I remember the announcer only got out "In second place with a score of 96.9 the S.." and I didn't hear a thing after that.
smn76: You absolutely were. I marched in 1988, but before that, I was a huge fan ten years earlier. The 1978 corps were and are my heroes. I am humbled that we played one of the same songs that you did. Magnificent as our Malaguena closer was, your opener in 78 was the epitome of studliness! It was our distinct honor to carry on your tradition.
I love how excited the announcer was to declare the winner. LOVE this video- thanks!
I remember when he announced 4th place, thinking OMFG, we made top 3! When we weren't announced as 3rd place, it was friggin nuts. We really weren't expecting it, afterall the Devil's had been undefeated up til that moment. Taking 2nd place was more than I ever hoped for. Then, we he announced "in 2nd place... Santa Clara..." many of us actually started shaking and crying, more or less uncontrollably. It just didn't seem possible.
Joe Kemple You guys did win semifinals
Drummer forLife Semifinals scores were kept secret. Nobody knew. We went to Kansas to see Madison rehearse on finals day. They were as relaxed as I’ve ever seen.
The Scouts marching that evening was pure perfection
Thanks for this video! I loaned my copy to a drum line instructor and NEVER got it back. I've been lamenting the loss ever since. Finding this made my day. I cried all over again. What a fantastic year and a great moment in drum corps. I remember the announcer only got out "In second place with a score of 96.9 the S.." and I didn't hear a thing after that.
Keeping the top three scores under wraps and making the judges actually choose is definitely the way to do it. Bring that back.
As it's their 75th Anniversary, I want the Scouts to win this year.
Thanks for posting the scores. That was weird year where they DIDN'T announce semi-final scores, so nobody knew we had beat Devils by over a point the previous night. We marched a bit cleaner at semis. I marched 88 Scouts BTW
I think was a rather different feeling than being in one of the perennial winning corps who were prepared to win. We simply weren't. I'm 40 now, but that moment is still and will always be one of the top highlights of my life. All top 5 corps that year were dynamite, which made winning even that much more of an honor.
The crowd knew that Scouts deserved to win. Cleanest M&M by far in a physically demanding marching show for the time...tight drums and classic full Madison Brass sound as was a trademark from their heyday.
I, and many other fans felt that Scouts could've easily won in 1976, '78, 82, 84, and 85 and several other years where they had been slotted 4th or 5th.
Let's just say that at 4:40 they weren't cheering that SCV took 2nd place....something very special, and long overdue, had happened.
The facial expression at 5:58 sums up everything. Wow
The crowds reaction reminds me of 2008. No one likes to see BD win, but everyone loves to see them lose for the first time by a narrow margin at finals.
I agree. Thanks for the comment. Long overdue is a term that certainly applies today. Heres to brighter days.
I marched with Madison in '78, and I agree. 1978 was a crazy year. PR, SCV, BD and Madison traded wins with each other on a nightly basis. There was no clear favorite heading into Denver that year. We (horn execution) got jobbed in Boulder early that week, so that left the other three. In fact, Santa Clara was probably the worst of the 4 going into that week, and they ended up winning.
I know one thing for sure: We were the clear crowd favorite the whole summer.
Isn't this the year the corps didn't play in order of semis placement? I heard the scouts were ranked 3rd or 4th going into finals but actually won. Pretty crazy stuff.
Top five in performance order: BD, SCV, Cavies, Scouts, Garfield. Madison won the prelims followed by BD, SCV, Cavies, Garfield. There weren't any placement shifts in the bottom 7.
We weren't ranked 3rd or 4th coming in. For all we knew we could have been 2nd or 7th. The only two that were really certain where they ranked (somewhat) before finals were BD and SCV. BD went undefeated until semifinals. SCV had only lost to BD prior to semifinals. Meanwhile, Star was repeatedly beating Garfield, Cavies and Regiment only to finish 7th. So, I've always wondered if Star thought they were going to be top 3.
The week before finals we lost to SCV 94.3 to 93.9. I knew that night that we had a very good shot at the top 3 and a shot at beating my absolute idols (SCV). If you think about it, how many corps could fit within a 0.4 spread. Not many, and I knew for certain SCV was going to be at least 3rd at finals (only if we were able to pass them, if not at least 2nd place). For all we know, had BD been there that night they may have been 3rd. Neither SCV or us saw BD after Whitewater in July. After Whitewater, BD and Regiment headed out east to meet up with Star, Garfield and Cavies who were already out there.
We really didn't even think where we were "ranked" - I'm not sure we cared. Seriously, the only time I ever heard anyone talk about scores and placements all season was after DCM in DeKalb. We all thought we got majorly screwed. Other than that, no one ever talked about scores and placements.
The staff did sit us down at a finals week practice and told us we had a shot to win the whole thing. I don't know if I believed them. I didn't really think about it. I just wanted to finish top 4. I just wanted to beat Regiment, Cavies and Star (after losing to all of them at DCM finals). I did not think we would win. I was shocked as hell when we did. The best thing about it was feeling that I was as good as SCV. It was amazing.
After being heartbroken as a Jr. Scout in '85, '86 and '87 when Vanguard lost, I was overjoyed to be on that field in '89 as their won their championship. SCV is as beloved to me as the Scouts are. The are the epitome of class - in both victory and defeat. I have so much love and respect for that organization that carries forward to this day.
It was an exciting year for sure, and IMO the top 3 were all amazing. We all gave such passionate and energetic performances. If BD won I wouldn't be on here saying they shouldn't have. Same thing if SCV had. The numbers just fell in our favor, and IMO all three of us were worthy of being champions in '88.
There is no feeling like the one when you are on the field for retreat, and they call the names of the corps with each one they call, your corps name stil hasn't been announced. I know what you mean by getting the "shakes" as all that plays out.
@multibuddhaneo I will have to disagree with you, as we, and I mean I marched 88 Scouts, won guard and percussion in prelims. I guess you could say we won finals at prelims. We did win GE at finals and for many, many years, the corps that won GE ended up winning DCI. I still teach corps and talk to a number of BD 88 vets, and even they agree we marched our asses off and while maybe not as clean brass-wise, we played with more emotion for sure!
How do marching bands and drum corps know how to bring their horns or not? Do they tell the directors beforehand?
@360Alexrules08 They were undefeated until semis. DCI tried an experimental system where they kept the semis scores hidden and did a random draw for finals performance order (in the top 6), so no one knew until well after the fact that Madison had won semi's.
Great year. Sad to see that five of those top twelve corps are no more...and even very established corps like scv had to take a year off due to financial concerns.
Marker773: I do appreciate your comments about the '78 corps, but our version of Malaguena doesn't hold a candle to the '88 version. I was so proud watching the championship unfold.
Back when corps was good.... and anyone could win... listen to that crowd go nuts...
I talked to lots of vets and staff from the top 12.....most said Scouts will win after the show they just did..
@Marker773 one of the biggest injustices of DCI is not giving the championship to Phantom in '78. Another is Blue Star in '72.
they got it to make them happy for their aniversary only. for their 50th aniversary. but they were still good
Back when corps was good.... and anyone could win...
To THIS day, I wonder if Steve Rondinaro realized as Madison's performance began that his prediction of an undefeated 1988 Blue Devils season was impossible?
At 5:03 I ALWAYS LOOSE IT !!! i love my Brothers MYNWA '99 Alumni
I was there PR
Finals was 08-20-88
08-13-88
1 Santa Clara Vanguard 94.300
2 Madison Scouts 93.900
08-19-88
1 Madison Scouts 97.800
2 Blue Devils 96.600
3 Santa Clara Vanguard 96.300
08-20-88
1 Madison Scouts 97.100
2 Santa Clara Vanguard 96.900
3 Blue Devils 96.300
08-13-88
1 Santa Clara Vanguard 94.300
2 Madison Scouts 93.900
how old is that kid at 8:54
id actually be interested to hear '83 retreat.
Hilarious. When the best color guard is awarded to Phantom Regiment, that Madison Scout's jaw drops. Around 6:42
the devils got hosed this year!!!
Why can't we have announcers like that anymore?
BD was undefeated?
All season. Madison won prelims 97.8 to 96.6.
@JessOnTheRun Dude, that keyboard section would eat you for lunch.
The judges didn't see it that way. Thank goodness you were not a judge.
A swing and a miss from Reliable Rondo.
I loved the BD show this year, but Malaguena hit a high that has rarely (if ever) been equaled in terms of pure awesomeness. BD was better than SCV though. WTB more velvet knights.
I still think Star got screwed, one of the best shows, Blue Devils all the way, but Suncoast top 3!
Suncoast top 3 ?! I marched Suncoast that year. Our semifinals show was much better, I have it on VHS and gave it to a friend to make a copy of, but there is no way we were Top 3 ! Maybe 7th on a good night, and that night was not Finals ! we had all sorts of issues that we didn't have on Semi-Finals night.
Although I enjoyed madisons show in 1988, it was a sympathetic win for them. SCV and BD clearly had tighter and cleaner programs. The judges voted by emotion which should never happen in DCI.